This is the Jenny L. Howe I’ve been missing, even if the end result is a little flawed. How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a sparkly, smart and well-crafted romance with lots of pep. It’s worth noting that the heroine reads a little younger than her years, and there’s a lot of negative self-talk – and the hero’s manipulative ways won’t be for everyone – but Howe manages to get back to a level of romantic parity that makes it worth reading.

Book editor Haleigh Berkshire is sick of the dating scene at only twenty-five. She’s long tried to eschew anything resembling adult responsibility but now needs to get it together, which might be part of the problem. But, running out of ideas and with her sister’s engagement party approaching, she turns to her family, and friends tells them to set her up on a series of dates. To her surprise, she starts having a good time out there. But one of her friends isn’t happy for her – Jackson Brooks. Jack is Haleigh’s best friend – and the one-night stand they had together during a vacation immediately went sideways, teaching them both that they can never be lovers and should keep things platonic.

But Jack is incredibly jealous of the notion of Haleigh finding love with one of these other men or women. He declares that she should take a chance on him. But can they ever actually turn their love into friendship?

This is a largely fun romance, with a good sense of what it’s like to try to pull your life together. As the author warns, Haleigh definitely has issues. I was actually pulling for her to get together with the other possible love interest, because Jack had a lot of ground to make up for with me. I found his reason for throwing a fit about their one night in Hawaii ridiculous, and his sudden entry into the derby for the heroine’s heart is too little too late. But the two of them work through the lumps and bumps to make a worthwhile couple. The friendship feels very real and lived-in… which also might present problems for romance fans who really want to watch their hero and heroine fall in love in real time.

But in the end, this is a romance about self-growth and growing up, and about that one romantic itch that must be scratched. How to Get a Life in Ten Dates scratches that itch for something bouncy and spirited, even though it’s not perfect.